Petscop

Petscop is a critically-acclaimed video game released by Garalina in 1999, for the Playstation console. The game was developed using bleeding-edge technology, such as online multiplayer, MIDI keyboard integration, and artificial intelligence capability, which before it's release was not possible in any other titles.

Plot

During the game's opening cutscene, the player character is appointed by "Marvin" to be the lead caretaker, or "Guardian", of the game's primary location, an animal shelter called "Even Care". here they care for various different creatures which the game calls "Pets". over the course of a day in the game the player will interact with NPCs such as "Tiara", "Lina", & "Care" which serve as prospective pet owners, and will try to match each visitor with their ideal pet. the loop continues until the player meets their "Adoption Quota", signifying the end of the game, where you are awarded with presents such as Stickers, Chalk, Paintings, Board Games & Vases, as well as other things.

The game's plot becomes difficult to document further, as it utilizes revolutionary personalization technology, generating entirely unique plot lines on a player-by-player basis. This is believed to have played a large role in the game's rave reviews.

Gameplay

An example of a puzzle in the game, as well as the Pet awarded for completing it.

The game combines elements from many different genres of video game, such as puzzles, turn-based combat, and 3D platforming. Many objectives in the game, most notably the obtaining of Pets, utilize a unique mechanic in the form of a mini-game, which is required to complete in order to "Catch" each pet. Such mini-games include Rhythm Game sections, which can optionally be played using a MIDI keyboard connected to the console using a proprietary adapter. These adapters were produced in collaboration with Mad Catz & distributed alongside a 1GB high capacity memory card with special edition bundles of Petscop from 2000-2001.

A multiplayer game, as well as its unique method of player communication

One of the most technologically impressive aspects of Petscop's design was in its Machine Learning System, which would record controller inputs while the game was being played. These inputs would then be used by the game in order to increase player immersion, by making NPCs actions appear more "human". A major downside to this system was the large amount of storage required in order to function, which is the reasoning behind including a 1GB memory card with certain bundles of the game. These memory cards were the largest ever produced for the Playstation system.

Reception

Petscop was widely received as a technological marvel, as well as being praised for it's unique visual style and sound design. It has since sparked many "Lets-Play" video series', on platforms such as YouTube. A spiritual sequel, Giftscop, was released in 2019, serving as an homage to the original game, attempting to improve on its base mechanics and expand on its content. Unfortunately, many of the proprietary systems from the original game remain closed-source, and any known leaks or reproductions have received swift takedown from Garalina. For this reason, Giftscop was forced to recreate most of the game's features, resulting in the game being of lesser overall quality. The game received mixed reviews, and was described as being "just okay".

The game was also a direct inspiration for one of Ditzykitty's names in Real Life.